As any retail or service worker will tell you, customers can be irrational, demanding, abusive, and brain-scramblingly, mind-bendingly strange. They can also be kind, thoughtful, funny, and full of pathos. Something about the often-fraught interaction between customer and worker, with the dividing line of the counter between them, loosens inhibitions, and has a kind of hot-house effect on eccentricity.

In I Can't Remember the Title But the Cover is Blue, veteran bookseller Elias Greig collects the best, worst and downright weirdest customer encounters from his years working as a Sydney bookseller. From ill-behaved children to nostalgic seniors and everything in between, this hilarious and unpredictable book is the perfect gift for anyone who's ever been on the wrong side of a counter.

I Can't Remember The Title But The Cover Is Blue by Elias Greig is published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $19.99.

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My Thoughts On The Book

I Can't Remember The Title But The Cover Is Blue by author Elias Greig is a laugh out-out-loud read full of amusing, cringeworthy quips that bring out the smiles. The novel portrays moments in a bookseller's life that would leave many running for the hills, but which still entertain many in his plight. After all, who hasn't asked that question "I can't remember the title but the cover is...". An aptly named novel that is a nice, surprising read that should not be missed.
Review copy received from Allen & Unwin

Detective Burrows has been a recurring character in some of your previous novels. Can you tell us a bit about his character?

Dave Burrows is a detective who is tenacious, has great integrity and loves his work. The modern day (2018) he’s married to Kim and lives in Barker, South Australia. In the Dave Burrows series, which is set back in the early 2000s, he’s married to Melinda and is a new Dad to Bec. He’s driven and rarely lets anything stop him from achieving the result needed to solve the crime.

What were some of the challenges in the writing process when writing this book?

I had spinal surgery in January and the due date for this book was the 1st of March. It was really difficult to write while I was on heavy pain relief which tended to addle my brain! I spent a lot of time writing while lying on my bed, with the electric blanket on my back and the fan blowing on me. It was a challenging time, but between the amazing people at Allen and Unwin and I, we got the novel finished! And now, here it is!

What is your favourite quote in your book?

‘The healing rain didn’t seem like it was about to let up for the night and for that she was grateful. She pulled up a chair and sat with her legs tucked up underneath her, enjoying the sounds of nature’s music.’

Can you tell us something about your book that is not already revealed in the synopsis?

Dave’s brother is critically injured in a farming accident and he has to work out whether he wants to go back and see Dean or stay in Barker.

Describe your perfect book heroine/hero?

Harry Bosch from Michael Connelly’s books. I’ve been a little in love with him for many, many years!

What can readers expect next from your writing endeavours?

A young Dave Burrows novel, which is lot more hard core, than previous ones. In fact in the words of my editor: “Without A Doubt is tougher and more hard-bitten than your other Dave Burrows novels and I think that suits the pair of you! The storytelling feels strong and assured and we see Dave at his most rugged and his most vulnerable.”

I loved writing this novel and hope to write many more like this.

About Where The River Runs

Ten years ago, thirty-year-old Chelsea Taylor left the small country town of Barker and her family’s property to rise to the top as a concert pianist. With talent, ambition and a determination to show them all at home, Chelsea thought she had it made.

Yet here she was, back in Barker, with her four-year-old daughter, Aria, readying herself to face her father, Tom. The father who’d shouted down the phone ten years ago never to come home again.

With an uneasy truce developing, Chelsea and Aria settle into the rhythm of life on the land with Tom and Cal, the farmhand, who seems already to have judged Chelsea badly. Until a shocking discovery is made on the riverbed and Detective Dave Burrows, the local copper, has to tear back generations of family stories to reveal the secrets of the past.

Chelsea just wants a relationship with her dad but will he ever want that too? Or will his memory lapses mean they’ll never get that opportunity?

Thirty-year-old Tessa Lowell has a PhD in psychology and is working in Uganda to research the effects of PTSD and war on child soldiers. She joins a delegation travelling across the Congolese border, deep into the African bush, for peace talks with Joseph Kony, notorious leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army.?

At the camp Tessa meets thirteen-year-old Francis, already an experienced soldier and survivor of shocking violence. The talks stall, and the camp is attacked by other rebels who take Tessa. Isolated in an increasingly volatile situation, she tries to form a bond with Francis.

In Melbourne, Tessa’s parents are notified of the kidnapping, but learn there is little that government agencies can do. Desperate, they contact their son Stephen, an astute if manipulative businessman based in Cape Town. He agrees to search for his sister but has other reasons to contact the rebel forces.

As Tessa’s time runs out, her family begins to fracture. Her parents arrive in Uganda to hear awful news about what she has endured. They also learn the devastating truth about the kind of man their son has become. Only they have the power to stop a terrible injustice. But at what cost to their family?

Englishwoman Evelyn Worthington is resolved to build a school for ladies in her brother’s newly purchased Scottish castle. But when she arrives, not only does she find the castle scorched by fire, but a brawny Highlander bars her entry.

Clan chief Grey Campbell would rather die than see his family home, Finlarig Castle, fall into English hands, so Grey must win the battle of wills with the beautiful Sassenach who flashes a bill of sale before him.

When the war between Evelyn and Grey escalates, passions flare. But outsiders have their own plans for Finlarig. After secrets are revealed, and muskets are lit, the fates of the Campbell Clan, the school, and a possible future for Grey and Evelyn are in as much jeopardy as their lives.

About The Bachelorette Australia

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Welcome to Talking Books Blog! A website where we talk about new releases, old favourites and soon to be released books! Book reviews, blog tour spotlights, author Q&A's, guest posts, cover reveals, recommendations and general book chit chat!
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